Posts by rachaelbear

this goes against what calorie count is supposed to be about. this is an incredibly unhealthy idea and the fact that you are trying to garner support for it and get others to join you is deplorable. i'm 5'2" and my healthy weight range is 101-136 but i would have to absolutely starve myself to be anything under 110. if you read any of the material on this site by the actual registered dietiticians or if you see a nutritionist/personal trainer, no one would recommend that you eat this way. if it is not a way you can see yourself eating for the rest of your life then it won't work. you will gain all of that weight back as soon as you start eating "normal" food again. the best and only way to stay at a healthy weight for you (and I am certain that at 112 you are still thin with a relatively low BMI) is to eat a balanced diet, practice portion control, and exercise regularly. if you want to eat like an anorexic please take it somewhere else. thanks.

FYI: Pop Tarts are NOT VEGAN. They contain gelatin. You must buy the organic (I think it's Nature Valley brand) ones from Whole Foods or other health food stores for them to be vegan. Gelatin appears in strange places...also stay away from Yoplait Whips yogurts.

Snacks: Tofurky Jerky is really yummy (even though it is pretty high in sodium)! Larabars are also very tasty and made from whole foods (dried fruits and nuts, nothing else). They make a few peanut free varieties and also some chocolate flavors. My personal favorites are Ginger Cookie and Pistachio.

I also personally think think that one should use fake meat products sparingly because they tend to be very high in sodium (even for adults), which can lead to hypertension- another health problem that is plaguing our country. Try being creative with beans!

Lunch ideas involving beans:

-Make wraps using black, kidney, or garbanzo beans instead of fake meat.

-Make sammies using hummus or homemade veggie patties (use a food processor to grind up beans, bind with bread crumbs- look at 101 cookbooks food blog- she has a lentil burger and a garbanzo burger)

-Make wraps using homemade falafel- also easy to make

-Lentils make an excellent substitute for ground fake meat in lasagnas and pasta dishes.

By using whole foods you can avoid feeding yourself and your child too much sodium (adults should consume between 1500 and 2400 milligrams per day, not sure what daily values are for kids) but a lot of those vegan "just add water" soups contain upwards of 900mg!

It would be fun and easy to go with a middle eastern mezze (small plates/appetizers) theme. I love to make tabbouleh, hummus, falafel, pita, and baba ghanoush. serve with tomato wedges drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and parsley, sliced cucumbers, and red onions. you could also make a salsa/simple salad of these three ingredients by dicing and mixing them all together. serve a nice plate of olives, as well. veggie sticks are also great for dipping in hummus. all of these things are vegan and can be real crowd pleasers. store bought baklava for dessert makes a simple and fun end.

tabbouleh is a salad that is typically made with bulgur (cracked wheat)- i prefer to make mine with quinoa because it cooks so quickly and also adds a nice texture. you can buy it at trader joes, whole foods, or any other specialty/health food grocery store (not sure where you are located- sorry if i am over-explaining). while i usually make this recipe to taste, here are some general guidelines:

1 cup prepared quinoa (follow directions on box- 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until all water is absorbed- * do not forget to rinse the quinoa first! it tastes dirty if you don't)

1 cup diced tomatoes, goopy parts removed

1/4- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion (depends how strong you like it)

1/4- 1 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley and mint (or just parsley). the amount here depends on how green you like it. traditionally, tabbouleh is mostly greens, but i prefer more of a quinoa salad type.

drizzle of olive oil- to coat the salad (I use lemon flavored olive oil- you could easily replicate by using some combination of olive oil and lemon juice0

sea salt and pepper to taste

slather some hummus/baba ghanoush on pita, add a falafel, top with tabbouleh- ENJOY.

hummus is also extremely easy to make at home (so long as you have a food processer) and i much prefer the fresh kind to any you would buy in the store- just look it up online- a good hummus contains garbanzos, tahine (sesame butter), olive oil, lemon, and fresh garlic. for a fancy finishing touch, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with paprike, top with fresh chopped parsley and some whole garbanzos.

falafel i usually just make from a mix that i buy in the store (read: just add water). however, i imagine it is fairly simple to make from scratch as well.

i will be attempting my first homemade pita bread tonight, but it sounds pretty simple. store bought pita bread is god awful once you have had the real thing (fresh from israel!). you could probably find a better packaged pita at a middle eastern grocery. it is not supposed to be hard and card-boardy like the kind you buy in the normal market- it's meant to be light and fluffy.

it's my birthday this month, too. have a good one!